When Emi Met Rage
by TheBabs
Summary: Last chapter for this story! Read it! If ya wanna yell at me for taking 2 long, go to site on my profile!
1. When She Saw Him

****

When She Saw Him

Emi whizzed by people on her scooter with sky blue wheels and handlebars. School had just let out for the summer and she was ready to jam at the arcade to play DDR. Humming the tune to 'Tell Me Tell Me', she hopped off the sidewalk into the street and safely crossed, dodging other people as they ran by. As soon as the front wheel touched the sidewalk again, she flipped the scooter up and folded it as she went inside.

Greeted by loud music, and other assorted noises, Emi smiled and headed over to the Dance Dance Revolution stage and watched some younger, inexperienced players give the game a try. Instead of jumping on the stage right after the girls when they failed, she went to the snack bar and bought a hot dog and just watched everyone play. A friend of hers, Ecks, who had a break from burger flipping, came over to Emi.

"Hey Ems" he said, taking a seat next her as she watched another few people step up. "Enjoy watching the newbies?" he asked. Emi smiled.

"Where are they from?" she asked, taking a sip from her water bottle. Ecks shrugged.

"All over. I hear some came from the Future Patrol Dome. Some from the Puppet Zone." he answered, taking a sip of soda.

"My pen pal Charmy is from the Future Zone, and I know Konsento and Zukin are from the Puppet Zone." she said, watching a really tall guy flip backwards over the bar. She winced. Ecks laughed.

"Remember the first time you did that?" he asked. Emi shuddered. Ecks laughed again, then groaned as he was called back to work. "You see that guy in the red vest? The spiky haired dude? He came last week and he's tearing the stage up! I bet you two would make a great team!" then Ecks left whistling some song. 

After throwing out her garbage, she leaned against the side of a shooting game and watched the guy Ecks pointed out. He jumped over the bar just before the song started and did some free styling moves that drew a crowd. After his 3rd song, Emi realized that about 20 people came to watch. The boy turned around and noticed the crowd for the first time and smiled. He spotted Emi and winked, then got off as a 'team' stepped up to dance. Suddenly, Emi's cell phone rang. Moving from the crowd to answer it, she realized it was nearly 5 o'clock and she had to make dinner for her brother, who was home waiting.

"Be right there Walt, just leave the door open for me okay? Bye!" she ended the call and unfolded her scooter and rolled out of the arcade. The red vested guy watched her leave and went to the snack bar. As Ecks was taking the boy's order, he asked.

"You know that blue haired girl?" Ecks smiled.

"Why, that my friend Emi..."

~~~~

Emi sighed as she forced her scooter to go faster in the pouring rain. Just as she was a block away from her apartment home, the rain suddenly stopped. Emi sighed and shook her head as she pushed the door open and took the elevator to the 8th floor. Getting off on her floor, she smiled sheepishly. Her brother, Walt, was glaring at her.

"I've been here since 2:30 waiting for you to come home!" he said, eyeing his drenched sister. "You really need to get a hat Emi." he lectured, noticing his sister's wet, matted down hair. Emi shook her head, spraying water at her brother who scowled. 

"Sorry," she said. "You are WAY too serious for an 11-year old." she complained, going into their apartment and finding canned ravioli. Walt watched as Emi opened the can. 

"And your way too immature for a 16-year old." he scolded. Emi giggled. "You should have a boyfriend by now, but all you play is that Diet Diet Revolution thing." he said. Emi sighed.

"Its DANCE DANCE Revolution, and a lot of people travel to play it. As for a boyfriend, I'm not ready" she said, turning on the stove and placing the pot full of raviolis on the stove. Walt sighed and leaned against the counter as Emi got a bowl for Walt. 

"It would be nice to hang around someone besides my _sister_...." he complained, shoving up his glasses. Emi, placed the bowl down on the table hard.

"Would you rather live with dad and have _noone_ to hang with?" she asked, offended. Walt looked down guiltily. "Sure he sends us money, but he never visits or calls us and he lives all the was in the Future Zone!" she said loudly. Emi and Walt ate dinner silently. After, Walt watched TV while Emi fell asleep writing in her diary.

__

Dear Diary,

I saw this cute guy dancing today. Ecks says that the guy and I should be a team, 

but I'm too shy to ask him or to even speak to him. What am I saying? I just saw 

him today, then Walt called me home.

He's getting harder to connect to. I wish he would understand why dad is away.

I know it must be hard for him not to have a role model, but I think he could just 

attempt_ to make friends. I think I'll take him out tomorrow...._

Emi.

Walt walked into Emi's room around midnight, scared from a movie he saw. Spying her diary, he closed it, got a blanket and snuggled under the blanket with her until morning.


	2. When She Met Him

Emi woke up early in the morning to find her brother curled up next to her. Smiling down at him, she eased herself out of bed and carried him out of her room. Returning to her own, Emi tilted up the baby blue digital alarm clock. The red numbers shone 6:30 am. Emi groaned and flopped down on the bed on her back and stared at the ceiling, her thoughts trailing to the day before.

'_I haven't seen him before, but Ecks said he came last weekend. I wonder what he was doing when everyone was in school? Where did he come from?' _she wondered. Suddenly aware that her phone was ringing, she rolled over on her stomach and picked it up.

"Hello?" she asked. Everyone she knew would be asleep until 8, at least until they found jobs in a few days.

"Hey Ems. Sorry I woke you, but I had news for you" Ecks answered.

Walt woke up when the phone rang. Looking at his own clock, it was 7 am. Putting his glasses on, his blue eyes were magnified 10x and made him look like a bug. Walking silently down to Emi's room, he listened to his sister's conversation by picking up the living room phone and holding it upside down, so he wouldn't breath into the speaker.

"No, its okay Ecks. What's up?" she asked, yawning.

"Well, today until 9 am, all DDR games are gonna be free! I already invited a few dancers." he said excitedly. Emi sighed.

"I'm spending the day with Walt though. I guess I'll just pay for the games tomorrow." she said. Walt stared at his feet, the at Emi's closed door.

"Bring the Squirt with you Ems! I don't think my boss will do this again!" Ecks said excitedly. Walt crossed his fingers.

"Walt HATES Dance Dance Revolution...and all other video games Ecks." Emi sighed. Ecks echoed. "I'll just come tomorrow..."

"I'LL GO!" Walt yelped, not wanting to ruin his sister's day. He still felt guilty about upsetting her the night before. Deep down, he had an admiration for the dancers, being able to keep fit and so on. Emi and Ecks were silent for a moment, then Ecks burst out laughing.

"I'll see you in a bit then!" he said, still laughing and hung up. A moment later, Emi came out of her room and looked at Walt.

"You really don't have to go Walt. We can go to that science museum that you've been wanting to visit." she offered. Walt smiled up at his sister.

"Emi, it doesn't open for a month. Besides..." he blushed and scuffed his foot into the carpet. "I was hoping I could pass a song..." Emi laughed and shoved Walt to his room. get dressed while I take a shower. We'll grab breakfast on the way! And get enough money for water bottles!" she said, running to the shower. Walt shook his head, silently wishing that the Museum was open, so he could sneak away and look at the dissected shuttles.

"Hey guys!" Ecks greeted. Emi smiled and hugged her friend. There were about 10 other dancers that Emi didn't recognize watching someone dance. She cheered as the cata was passed and the dancer bowed and left the stage. "Emi" Ecks said, breaking Emi out of her trance. She turned around to see Ecks and someone else.

"Um~hello" she stammered, moving a few strands of blue hair from her face. Ecks smiled at Emi.

"You two almost met yesterday. This is Rage. Rage, this is Emi." Ecks introduced. Emi blushed and looked at the ground, feeling scrummy in her orange long-sleeved shirt and loose blue pants. Rage was wearing an orange vest, gray short sleeved shirt (underneath) and blue camouflage pants. He smiled at Emi.

"I almost met you yesterday, but I think I scared you. You ran form the arcade." he said, grinning. Emi blushed. 

"No...my brother, Walt, he called me on my cell" she fumbled with her baby blue cell phone. "I was late getting home..." she stammered, trying not to look into his eyes, but failing. He laughed and she blushed again.

"I believe you Emi." was all he said before leading her to the stage. Emi couldn't help but stare at him the whole time. "Choose a song." he said. Emi shook her head, confused. "Choose a song to play" he said again. Emi suddenly realized where they were and turned pink. She reached out to the screen and chose her favorite song. "_Butterfly_?" he asked. Emi blushed, then turned her attention to the screen.

A few seconds into the song, Rage made a 180 turn and danced, facing the others, then jumped back. Realizing that they may be competing, Emi dropped down to do a knee drop. The crowd cheered, realizing what was going on. The mini competition went through _Boom Boom Dollar _and _Dynamite Rave_. Scoring almost exactly the same numerically, both scored A's. Walt walked up to Emi with a water bottle and handed it to her. Rage left for a moment. She stared at her brother.

"Where my bottle?" she asked. Walt shrugged. 

"It wasn't at home Emi, I looked everywhere while you were showering." Walt said. Rage returned. 

"Is that why your wet today? I thought you got caught in another rain storm" he smiled, holding a blue water bottle out. "You left this yesterday, I brought it home and cleaned it and refilled it for you." Emi took it and blushed.

"Home? You mean you live here?" she asked. Rage leaned against the wall, between a shooting game and the snack bar.

"Just moved here last weekend. I come from the 'Soul Express' dome. This is my first time in the Burning dome. Its nice." he said, smiling at Emi. Emi looked around, trying to think of what to say.

"'Soul Express' dome? the you know Tracy?" she asked. Rage smiled.

"My sister" he said, indicating his hair with a wave over his head. He tilted his head and looked Emi over. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably, not used to being 'looked over'. Suddenly, something landed hard on her shoulder, making her jump. Ecks laughed along with Rage, who had seen Ecks.

"Come on you two, I thought you came here to dance! Only and hour and a half until you have to pay again and more people are coming in." he said, indicating the doors, where more people were entering. Emi nodded and placed her expired green pik card on the machine. Rage placed something orange nest to her.

"What is that thing?" he asked, indicating the pik card.

"The Pika? That's the unit of money here in the Burning zone." she answered. "I used all my piks in it, so I don't have to worry if its stolen, which rarely happens here." Rage nodded.

"Mines a Cored Card. I think I have a few units on it, but you can't buy anything big." he said. Emi smiled and nodded, then laughed as Walt walked over. His arms were full of tickets and he was followed by a line of other boys. 

"I guess I'm good at fighting game..."he said before walking to the ticket counter. Emi laughed. 

"That's my brother." she said. Rage smiled, then tapped Emi and pointed to the machine. Emi smiled and walked on the stage, then noticed rage stepped on too. Choosing _Dead End_, they began to dance. The second song, .59, Emi noticed that Rage was mimicking her movements. Making them easy enough, they made a 'routine' together. Emi smiled at rage, not noticing everyone cheering for them. The third song, Afronova, was too hard to do a routine for, but Rage jumped over the bar in the middle. Emi stepped on his side and stepped on the arrow and nearly did a spilt hitting hers as well. Jumping back on, Rage smiled at Emi then looked at the snack bar and winked at Ecks. Around 9am, Walt found Emi and jerked his head to the door.

"Alright Walt, lemme just tell Ecks where we are going." Walt nodded and went to wait by the door. She walked to Ecks. "I'll be back later, alright?" she asked. Ecks nodded and went to serving some drinks. Walking by the DDR machine to the door, she heard someone call her. 

"Hey Emi." Rage said. He caught up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'll see you later, alright?" he asked. Emi dumbly nodded. Rage smiled and patter her shoulder, then went back to watching the current dancers. Walt walked in front of Emi with a spring in his step.

"Emis got a booyfriend!" he sang. Emi swatted him, making Walt laugh even more.

"Do not" she protested, stopping at a curb, waiting for traffic to stop. Walt stepped in front of Emi and grinned.

"Then why do you blush when he talks to you?" he asked. A pink haired girl walked up besides them.

"Who's Emi's boyfriend?" she asked. Emi opened her mouth to say 'no one', but Walt cut her off.

"The spiky haired guy with the goatee, His name is Rage!" Walt said, running from Emi's hand. The woman laughed.

"My little Emi's growing up!" she squealed. Hugging Emi as they crossed the street. Emi squirmed out of her grasp. 

"Stop it Lady!" she whined. Lady smiled.

"Is he cute?" she asked. Emi blushed even more and crossed the street.


	3. When They Made It

Emi looked around her apartment and smiled. Rage and Walt got along terrifically, and Walt was social to kids his age. She jumped when Rage hugged her from behind. He kissed her on the cheek, then went to help Walt with something. Sitting down, Emi smiled.

"EMI! WAKE UP!" Walt yelled in her ear. Emi sat up in bed, startled. Walt smiled. "Its 8:30 Emi. What were you dreaming of? You boyfriend Raaage?" he asked. Emi whomped him with her pillow and he ran from the room. Taking cover behind her door, he poked his head back in. "I bet you were! For the last 20 minutes you've been saying his name in your sleep!" he slammed the door just in time to avoid the pillow. 

Frustrated, Emi grasped her second pillow and buried her face in it. She though back to her dream where Rage kissed her on the cheek and blushed.

"But I barely even know him..." she muttered to her pillow. 20 minutes later Walt poked his head in just as Emi was about to leave. 

"Going to see your boyfriend? OOF!" he grunted as Emi whomped him with another, smaller pillow. Emi walked to the door after grabbing a health bar. "You not going out without a hat are you?" Walt asked, grabbing a coat. Emi stared at him. "Wow! What a ditz! Its raining all day today Emi, you need a hat." he lectured. Emi sighed.

"I may as well change too." she said, going back into her room. A few minutes later, Emi came out in a orange and black striped long sleeved shirt, blue sleeveless vest and puffy blue pants. She brushed her blue hair from her light brown eyes and sighed as she watched the rain. "I'm going to be so hot dancing today..." she sighed.

"I bet Rage will think so too!" Walt snickered. Emi ignored him. 

"You sure you'll be okay with these kids Walt?" Emi asked, twirling a few strands of her hair. Walt waved her away and shoved her out the door. 

"Clyde's mom is coming to pick me up, then we are going to the mall." he reassured Emi. Emi looked down at Walt.

"But I haven't talked to the besides on the phone...do you have enough piks in your card? Don't you want me to drop you off/" she asked worriedly. Walt laughed.

"Go on Emi, I'll be fine. I have my phone!" he said, producing a green cell phone. Emi checked the battery on Walt's phone and her own blue phone. 

"Well....."she started, then was cut off as Walt slammed the door in her face.

Emi smiled and walked downstairs, scooter in hand. She spun the blue wheels around now and then out of habit and waved to the man at the front desk as she left. Walt was right. It was pouring outside and Emi was completely drenched by the time she reached the arcade. As soon as she walked in the door, she stepped to the side and went to the snack bar. Ecks smiled at Emi and got her a towel.

"Three words Ems." he said, handing her the towel. "You. Are. Soaked." Emi sighed and handed the towel back. "Don't you have a hat?" he asked and Emi answered with a glare. He jokingly put his hands up for defense. "Spare me Ems. I'm surprised Walt let you out without one." he said. Emi dropped her scooter behind the counter.

"I'll be dancing if you need me sir" she said, treating Ecks like she didn't know him. Ecks sighed and watched her go. 

A few minutes later, Rage walked in and walked to the snack bar.

"Hey" he greeted, leaning against the bar. Ecks walked to Rage and handed him a soda. "I noticed Emi's soaking again." he smiled and shook his head. Ecks laughed.

"Well, she spends all of her money here. I don't think she knows a hat store exists." Ecks joked, then winced as Emi nearly slipped off the stage, but regained her balance. "She needs goulashes too." he muttered. He looked at Rage. "Rage? Where'd he go?" Ecks wondered aloud, scanning the arcade for him. He shrugged and went to attend to some customers before his boss yelled at him.

"WHOO!" Emi cheered, scoring an 'A' in _Dynamite Rave_. She jumped off as another dancer jumped on. She grabbed her water bottle and watched, humming along to the songs. Something brushed her hair, making her look up.

"Rage!" she gasped, blushing. Rage laughed and placed a hand behind his head.

"Sorry Emi." he apologized, then he fixed something on Emi's head. Curious, Emi took whateveritwas off.

"A hat?" she asked. It was a large, white hat that went pretty well with all of her outfits. she put it back on her head.

"Heard you needed one, so I changed my Creds to Pikas and bought you one" he said, smiling down at Emi.

"Rage..." she muttered, feeling embarrassed. Rage waved her off.

"Don't say anything Emi, just do the next 3 songs with me" he said, nodding to the DDR machine. Emi smiled shyly.

"Don't be too embarrassed when I beat you" she said. Rage laughed.

For the rest of the morning and afternoon, Rage and Emi danced together, mimicking each other's free-styling moves. Knee-drop after knee-drop, hand-slap after hand-slap and turn after turn they copied until Emi leaned against a shooting game and slid down until she was sitting. Rage looked down at her.

"Tired?" he asked grinning. Emi tried to say 'yes' but only a croak came out. Rage laughed and helped Emi up. "I'll treat you to lunch" he offered. Too hungry to argue, Emi nodded. Instead of sitting at the bar, Rage took Emi to a table and went to the snack bar. He came back with Ecks and two trays full of food and three drinks. Ecks and rage sat down and divided the food. Handing a hot dog to Emi, he asked 

"Hows my faveorite Team Burning Rage?" he asked. Emi blushed, looking at Ecks with her teeth halfway through a bite. She chewed her hot dog and swallowed, blushing.

"Team Burning Rage?" she asked dumbly. Ecks nodded while Rage munched down some fries.

"While you two were dancing, I was asked what team you guys were, so I just made up a name and now you're everyone's faveorite!" he said excitedly. Emi sipped her soda and thought. for a moment, then looked at Rage who didn't seem to be paying attention.

"Rage? How do _you_ feel about this?" she asked. He shrugged and smiled at Emi.

"Its up to you. I've been looking for a partner, but I heard you didn't like teams. I just thought if we danced together a few times, maybe you'd reconsider." Emi looked down at her hand and she flicked the wrapper from her straw back and forth. Rage placed his hand on hers, making her look up.

"I'll do it!" she said smiling. Rage grinned and got up.

"Alright, meet me outside the museum tomorrow morning at 9 so we can get started." he said and took off. Emi stared at him as Ecks got ready to go back on duty.

"At least he's your type Emi, if a bit ambitious" he said, before going to serve others. Emi followed to pick up her scooter and go home to rest.

__

Dear Diary,

Today I became part of Team Burning Rage. I'm to meet Rage tomorrow outside of the museum that Walt wants to go to when it opens. He seems really excited, but I'm nervous, no matter how many people say we're a perfect team.

On the other hand, it would be nice to be on a team....

Walt came home to find his sister stretched out on the couch writing in her diary. He hung up his coat and went to write in his journal to write about his own day.


	4. When They Practiced

Emi sped through people on her scooter, rushing to the museum. She checked her pink watch. The digital numbers showed 9:20. Looking up, she saw the museum, then---

Rage smacked right into Emi on his own scooter. Looking up dazed, she saw Rage laughing.

"Well Emi, I guess we were overexcited to find each other" he said, laughing some more. Emi smiled and got up. Rage flicked her hat. "Nice hat." he said. Emi smiled.

"Well, a nice person gave it to me. OH!" she yelped, remembering why she was late. She bowed down. "I'm so sorry Rage! Walt was making breakfast and left a mess while I was asleep and I couldn't leave it..." she tried to explain. Rage laughed.

"No big deal. Besides, they aren't letting anyone near the museum right now. I guess a few jerks have been stealing artifacts or vandalizing the equipment during the night. I was going to ask if you wanna practice in the parking garage for my apartment." he asked. Emi nodded. He smiled, flicked his own scooter around and rode ff, followed by Emi.

After 10 minutes, they arrived at Rage's apartment building, went around the side and rode the elevator up 8 flights. Emi looked around. She was familiar with this area, she lived here when she was around 5, but still visited old family friends.

"Daydreaming Ems?" he asked. Emi blushed when Rage called her by her old nickname. He laughed again at her blush.

"That's not fair, I don't have a nickname for you...Spikes" she smiled, gently making fun of his hair. Rage stopped laughing, but was still smiling. He placed a hand on her head and gently ruffled her hair. She smiled and looked around at the empty floor. "Why here?" she asked.

Rage shrugged. "Privacy, and we can be as loud as we want. The 2 floors below us and the other floors above it are empty. We can practice all we want." Emi smiled at Rage as he suddenly ran to a corner, crouched, then cheered.

"What's up?" she asked. Rage jogged back. He had a stereo in his hands.

"No one stole it" he grinned, wiping some dust off of the top. "Shall we start practicing?"

After getting chalk, and drawing makeshift dance stages, Emi and Rage practiced routines on random songs, some not even on machines, but on the radio. Switching sides and getting the steps right wasn't a big thing for them anymore with slower songs. The song practiced the most was _Bumble Bee_, since it was Emi's favorite. Now and then they would practice the _Paranoia_ songs, but not a lot, since there weren't good routines to make for that particular line of songs.

They practiced every day for 3 weeks, often visiting Ecks in the 'Burger Bar' and watching others play, while practicing in the parking garage. Sometimes when they were recognized, Emi and Rage were placed on the stage by cheers and they would show off some routines.

Rage and Walt saw each other nearly everyday, since Rage would drive Emi home in his souped up moped, which he drove rather dangerously., to her apartment Emi made a late lunch for the three of them and Rage would help Walt with 'advise' on 'certain topics that Emi wasn't allowed to hear'. Usually, they were about girls and how to get them to notice you. Before each talk, Walt always turned red, but the blush faded as male hormones kicked in as we all knew they would (hey, a summer with Rage? Anything could happen and will...)


	5. When He Hurt Her

After 5 weeks, seeing Emi and Rage together was normal and they were referred to as 'Team Rage' or to impress people who have never been to the Burning Zone, 'Team Burning Rage'. Seeing the Team together, it was always assumed by everyone, including Emi, that there was something between them, and Rage acted it too in public and in front of Walt. Sometimes he would just hug her in public or just sit next to her at the Burger Bar and hold her hand or wrap his arm around her waist. This reinforced Emi's belief, and she was constantly cheerful, knowing she had someone there for her besides her younger brother. 

One Friday night, Emi was window shopping with Walt for a birthday present for a friend of his. Emi was ecstatic that Walt had made so many friends in such a small amount of time. Choosing a nice skateboard and a gift certificate to a gaming store, Walt asked if they could eat and after paying, they went to a diner restaurant in the food court. As Emi and Walt waited to be seated, Emi began to look at the people inside, to get a general idea of where they might sit, depending on who was closest to finishing their meals. She looked near the windows and thought she recognized someone. As they were allowed in, the waitress seated then a few tables away from the one Emi was looking at. While Walt was choosing his meal, Emi struggled to see past waiters and other random people walking. Finally, she was able to see the table and she just stared dumbly.

Rage was sitting at the table (which was a booth) with his arms around a girl at his sides. He smiled while saying something, making them laugh and blush. Emi, not realizing what she was doing, got up and walked to the table. When she got there, the trio didn't notice her right away.

"Emi who?" Rage asked, laughing and pulling a girl closer and kissed her on the cheek, extremely close to her mouth. The girl giggled and pushed him away lightly, then was hugged closer again. Emi's eyes stung as she watched Rage flirt right in front of her and not even look up to see her. The one he kissed, who had long green hair, noticed a figure standing at the table. 

"Waitress, I'll have another soda." she said, still not looking up. Rage nuzzled her closer.

"How about some fries with that shake?" he asked. The girls laughed again. Not saying anything, Emi slapped Rage across the face. He looked up, amazed and his smile disappeared for the first time as he looked at Emi. His jaw dropped, then he forced it into a smile.

"Hey Ems..." he said, erasing the astonishment from his voice. Even more upset, Emi whirled around, grabbed Walt's arm before he could order anything, or even ask what happened and was dragged out. Walt struggled to carry his things and catch up with Emi. 

As they left the mall, Walt tried to get Emi's attention, but failed. Walt and Emi walked all the way home, with Emi silent and Walt trying not to drop everything he was carrying. As soon as they got to their apartment, Emi ran to her room, slammed her door and collapsed on her bed. Confused, Walt placed his things on the kitchen table and decided to quietly read in the living room until Emi calmed down a bit.

A few hours later the phone rang, which Emi answered, then slammed down a second later. Five minutes later, Walt's cell phone rang. It was Rage. Going into his room, Walt answered.

"Hey Rage, what's up?" he asked. Rage was silent for a moment.

"Did you see me at all today?" he asked Walt. Walt thought, then said no. Rage was silent. "How is Emi?" he asked. 

"Shes upset about something. She hasn't come out of her room since we got home." Rage sighed, then said goodnight to Walt, promising he would visit tomorrow.

Rage hung up his phone and leaned way back in his chair. The last thing he expected was for Emi to be there. But why was Emi so upset? He wondered. They didn't even go out. He rubbed his cheek and looked at his calendar. He hoped Emi wouldn't ruin his next date...


	6. Rage's POV

Rage sighed as he sat back in his chair. Walt was absolutely clueless about why Emi was mad, just like him. He picked up a random object and fiddled with it. No girl had ever gotten made at him before. At the Disco Zone, it was normal for a guy to be with a different girl every week until he found a girlfriend. He thought about his past 'almost girlfriends' and walked to his bed and collapsed, dropping his brush. He looked out of his window for a while.

Everything here was so different.

The Disco Zone was always alive with lights, music and people. It seemed like the people never slept everyone was ready to show off their bright, fancy clothing and boyfriends and girlfriends of the week. For Rage, it seemed he was always with a different girl, and when they left, it didn't matter much since their dates were focused on the style the other had, and there was not normally emotions attached to these relationships.

He thought back to a girl he had been with a year or so earlier. She was like Emi: Shy and cute. He smiled, remembering how attached to him she was, then it disappeared when he remembered her reaction to their 'breakup'.

"What is with these girls?" he asked no one, rolling on his back to stare a the ceiling. For a moment, he thought his eyes were closed, then he realized it was night. He looked outside again and was reminded that the Burning Zone wasn't as active at night like the Disco Zone. Cursing to himself, he fumbled for the table lamp and nearly knocked it over. Finding the switch, he flicked it on and looked around his room. His shelves were full of CDs he burned and some that still had to be burned . His stereo was on the floor, next to his desk where there were piles of magazines (for the articles!). He found his cell phone and picked it up. Turning it on, he waited for the buttons to glow, then was mildly surprised when the face of his phone went dark. Looking around, he found his charging cord and plugged his phone in.

When his phone was charged, he picked it up and in his address book, he called a number she should have committed to memory already. Tracy picked up on the first ring.

"Hello?" she asked. Rage smiled at his sister's voice.

"Hey! What's goin on Tracy?" he asked. He heard her snap her gum on the other side.

"Rage, why did you call?" she asked. Rage did a fake gasp of astonishment.

"Can't a brother call his sister without being accused of wanting something?" he asked, pretending to be hurt. Tracy sighed.

"Nothing is wrong with it if you were the type who was close to his sister, but since you're not, there is something up. she said. Rage sat down heavily and sighed. Tracy heard the sigh. "What's wrong?" she asked, more sympathetic.

"What in the world is wrong with you girls?" he yelled into the receiver. Tracy was silent for a moment, then asked slowly,

"Rage, what happened?" she asked. rage sighed and told Tracy about Emi, the practices, and how she slapped him for no reason at a diner in front of his double date. 

"Double Date?" Tracy asked. "You mean you and a friend took a girl out?" she asked. Rage snorted.

"No, I took two girls out. Double Date, DUH" he impatiently told his sister.

"Uh huh...did you treat this girl like you cared for her?" she asked. 

"Of course!.....not...." he paused, unsure. "Wait, what do you mean by 'care'?" he asked. Tracy paused, listening to the tone of her brother's voice.

"Rage, it sounds like you hurt her. Now don't say anything yet" she said quickly before Rage could object. "Rage, things in the Disco Zone and the Burning Zone are different. I mean, the money is different for one thing, then there are the relationships which you just messed up." Rage was silent.

"Relationships?" he asked. He had been in plenty, or was he?

"Those are more like flings than actual relationships. If what you said is true, which is rare for you dear brother, then this is the longest and closest thing you've had to a relationship ever." she was about to say more, when Rage cut in.

"Relationship? Why do you girls have to be so serious about everything? I was with tons of girls and-"

"-you never actually cared for any of them, just being with them made you look better. You better apologize to that girl Rage, or I'll come down there, drag you by your ear and force you myself!" then Rage hung up on her.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea overcame him. Lurching to the kitchen, he opened his refrigerator and looked inside, but he didn't feel hungry. Looking in his cabinets, Rage found that nothing that would make him feel better. He went to sit on his couch, tuned on the TV and flicked through the channels. Staring at the TV, but not seeing anything, suddenly something clicked in his mind. 

'Guilt' he muttered. Suddenly he opened his eyes, and noticed it was morning. He stretched and sat up. Noticing the television was still on, he decided to watch it, the threw the remote at the TV finding out it was a Soap Opera with a similar theme as his problem. Still not hungry, Rage went into the parking garage to practice and smiled, seeing Emi dance on the right side of the 'stage'. Rage jumped on his side and danced to the song on the radio. After the song was over, Rage turned to say something to Emi, but she ignored him and chose another song, then began dancing, but didn't seem to put any heart into it .

"Hey Ems, where's your hat?" he asked innocently. She stared straight ahead and danced. Rage sighed and turned it off. "We don't dance good like this. Wanna have breakfast first?" he asked. Emi glared at him.

"No thank you, I had breakfast already." she said slowly and coldly. Rage looked down at her. 

"You look cuter when you're happy" he said. Emi punched him in the chest and he suddenly hugged her close. "I won't let that happen again Emi. I promise" Emi nodded, burying her face into his chest. Suddenly, he leaned down and kissed Emi. The world around them broke apart as a car crashed into another.

Rage fell off of his couch, hugging a pillow to his chest.

"Just a dream...I never kissed Emi..." he repeated this to himself for a few moments, then got up to meake oatmeal, which eventually burned and set off the smoke alarm. "It was just a dream!" he yelled, just before a neighbor knocked on his door to help with the alarm.


	7. When He Appologised

Emi woke up the next morning, around the same time Rage did. Her dreams, which she could not recall now, made her feel like she had no energy. Trudging into the kitchen, she began to make a cheese omlette for Walt and oatmeal for herself. Leaving the eggs to firm and the oatmeal to warm, she ran to wake Walt up, and came back just in time to put cheese on the eggs and flip the omlette over. She stirred her oatmeal and poured it into a bowl as Walt stumbled in.

"Lazy morning" he said, placing his glasses on and watching Emi work. Emi shrugged and placed Walt's omlette in front of him and sliced apples into her oatmeal. "Alright Emi, what happened?" he asked.

Emi sat down with her oatmeal and spooned it.

"....Nothing Walt...can we talk about it later?" she asked. 

"No!" he yelled. Surprised, Emi dropped her spoon. "I mean, what happened? You flipped in the mall and we had to walk ALL the way home! my feet *still* hurt! And you won't tell me why!" he complained loudly. Emi tousled Walt's hair sadly.

"It was Rage..." she murmured. Walt looked at her skeptically, and began to eat, content at _some_ explanation. "We...he...ugh...he was on a date with two girls at the diner. That's why we left." she said. She stabbed her oatmeal, then began stirring it. Walt was silent.

"But...I thought you two...I thought you were together?" he asked. Emi looked even more sad.

"That's what I thought too" she said, and got up and walked to her room. Walt continued eating this omlette. He heard Emi turn on the shower, then smiled happily.

"I can get them together!" he said happily. He rushed to the sink to clean his dishes fast, then ran to his room. Turning on his phone and checking his recent calls, he programmed Rage's number.

Emi stepped out of her shower and wrapped her robe around her. She felt bad for Walt. For weeks it had seemed like he had someone to look up to, but now she wasn't sure if she wanted Walt to hang around Rage. She walked into her room and picked up a brush and began brushing her short hair. She looked down at her brush and picked out a few hairs, then brushed some more. After getting dressed, she knocked on Walt's door. He poked his head out, his hair dripping.

"Wanna go to the arcade?" she asked. He nodded and disappeared back into his room. Emi went to hers and checked the battery on her phone.

Walt placed a blanket over his phone after he called Rage. On the 5th ring, he picked up.

"Hello?" he asked. There was a tone of exhaustion in his voice.

"Rage" Walt said. "Go to the arcade." then he hung up and went to pack a few dollars in his wallet. "I'm ready Emi!"

Rage looked at his phone. The voice wasn't familiar at all. He wished he had caller ID on his main phone, then hung it up. 

"Go to the arcade?" he said aloud. He looked at his burned stove, then at the couch. "I guess its a good idea. Pick up some girls. Better get cleaned up" and he went to take a shower.

An hour later, Emi and Walt were at the arcade. Emi sat at the Burger Bar watching Walt play a fighting game. She smiled as he beat 4 competitors and was currently in a tie with another.

"Something wrong?" Ecks asked, sitting next to her. Emi looked up, tears suddenly springing to her eyes. She looked away, but Ecks caught her hand. "Come into the back room with me. Tell me what happened." Emi didn't look at him. "It looks to me that Walt knows, why can't I? I've known you since I moved here 11 years ago Emi." Emi nodded, biting her lip. "Walt will be okay by himself." he urged, as Emi stopped for a second. he managed to shove her into a storage room where rolls of tickets and boxes of tokens were kept.

"Now, what happened?" he asked. Emi, trying not to cry, told Ecks. He listened silently, then gave Emi a moment as he thought. "Well, maybe in the Disco Zone...things were different...or maybe..." he sighed. "I don't know, but I DID think you guys were dating." he said.

"Yea...me too" she said, her voice close to breaking. Ecks smiled and hugged her.

"Want me to rough him up? I'll teach him to hurt Ems." he said. Emi tried not to smile, but Ecks's excessive personality forced it out of her. He led her out and locked the door behind him. Feeling better, Emi walked to the DDR machine and placed a coin up, just as Rage set his down. They looked at each other, Emi felt awkward, Rage smiled.

"Hey Emi, wanna show the n00bs how to dance?" he asked. Emi's jaw nearly dropped, but she nodded anyways. They danced when it was their turn. They had a crowd that applauded, but Walt and Ecks knew that something was wrong. Neither dances totally acknowledged the other, and Emi didn't put the energy she usually had into the dance. After the 3rd song, Rage led Emi to a corner after requesting privacy.

"Emi...whatever happened yesterday...lets not let it effect our Team." he begged. Emi stared. "Listen, I didn't mean to hurt you...I didn't know you felt that way...geeze Emi look at me!" he grasped her shoulders and shook her gently. Emi looked at him.

"Alright" she said. rage stared. "Alright! What else do you want me to say Rage?" she asked. Walt came over, looking scared. Emi looked down, noticing someone come by. "Walter!" she gasped, kneeling down and looking up at her brother. Surprised, Rage kneeled down too. "What happened?" she asked, brushing the hair from his eyes. 

"I was challenged to a fight because I beat a bunch of kids at Tekken 9, but I can't fight!" he whined, his voice rising the way it always did when he whined.

"I'll help you with these guys if you need me to Walt" Rage promised. Walt forced a smile and nodded.

Rage lounged on the couch, watching TV. It was nighttime and Walter was begging Emi if he could stay up to watch a movie.

"Plleeease?" he begged. Emi shook her head. Rage looked up.

"Come on Emi, the kid need to use up some of that energy. Its not like he's going to get nightmares, Walt is a brave kid!" he protested. Emi sighed and Walt high-fived Rage, then hopped onto the right end of the couch. Rage moved over so Emi could sit in the middle. About 20 minutes into the movie, Walt was fast asleep. Rage smiled and got up and carried Walt into his room. When he got back, Emi was hugging a pillow. he laughed.

"Scared Emi-chan?" he teased. Emi stuck her tongue out at him He chuckled and sat next to her. Emi leaned against him, and Rage took the opportunity to wrap his arm around her. She looked up at him and he bent down and trapped her in a long kiss. He frowned a bit and he realized that her mouth was dry and flat and her body was squishy. Opening his eyes, Rage realized he was at him, hugging (and kissing) his pillow. He sat up. 

"I apologized! What else do you want from me?" he growled to no one, then laid back down and touched his lips. He closed his eyes and thought back to the day before. After talking to Walt while Emi ordered lunch, he remembered Walt telling him how he wanted Rage to be around more, even though Emi was still upset with him. They separated ways after exiting he arcade, then he went on a date he suddenly remembered, then ended it early due to a stomach ache. He opened his eyes, and sat up. "We are a TEAM. Nothing else!" he announced.

"Yeah, sure" said a voice. 

"Oh no..." Rage groaned, closing his eyes and falling on his back. Tracy put her suitcase down and pulled Rage into a sitting position by grabbing his ear.

"Oh yes. And you are going to admit to this girl how you feel." Rage winced and she shook him by his ear.


	8. When They Partied

"Tracy, what you doing?" Rage asked, turning his face to the side and watching his sister type on his computer.

"Oh, just making some invites." she said, turning around to look at her brother. She snickered, looking at him. "Are those wrinkles from age or your pillow?" she asked. Rage sighed and buried his face in his pillow again.

"Ungh" he replied. Tracy got up and shook him. He groaned again. Tracy huffed, then grabbed the back of his muscle shirt and pulled hard. Rage yelled out as he fell out of bed, tangled in his sheets and blanket. Laughing, Tracy opened his blinds, making Rage blink at the sudden light. He hugged his pillow tightly as Tracy tried to pull it from him.

"Up! It's nearly 9 am!" she ordered, kicking Rage in the side. He jumped up and looked at the clock, which illuminated 8:59 am. "Nice boxers" she noted, turning back to the computer. Rage looked down.

"Thanks...wait, um, shower!" he ran from his room and into the bathroom. A moment later, running water was heard.

"Glad I cleaned all of his towels" she murmured, hitting the print button. Collecting her prints, she left Rage's room and sat on the couch and began placing her prints in envelopes. Rage came out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel.

"What are those?" he asked, standing in his doorway to his room. He stood higher to see around Tracy's hair. "Invitations?" He walked over to her and snatched one. Tracy didn't object. "A pool party? Cool! Who's invited? Girls right?" he asked. Tracy nodded.

"Some of our friends." she said, taking his invitation and placing it in its envelope. 

"Oh yeah? Who?" he asked, going into his room and tossing clothes around, trying to find something clean.

"Lady, the Konsentos, the Zukins" she ticked off on her fingers. "Jenny and Johnny, Emi, Ecks, Walter, Dread Snake" Rage fell over, trying to put his pants on. He ran over to his sister, shirtless and kneeled in front of her. "...Boldo...don't try proposals on me, I'm taken" she winked. "Although, with those muscles, I guess that is how you rope all of those girls. Rage frowned. 

"What were those three names...?" he asked seriously. Tracy smiled innocently.

"What three?" she asked, batting her eyes. Rage grabbed her arms and shook her.

"Don't play with me Trace. Just tell me those three people." Tracy smiled.

"Ecks, Walter and....Emi" she said, enjoying the reaction she got at 'Emi'. Rage sat leaned way back and looked at the ceiling.

"Emi..." he muttered. Tracy raised an eyebrow. Rage closed his eyes and laid on his back. "Trace, why'd you do this? You invited the three people who can make the biggest scene-" he stopped as the doorbell rang.

"Whoops, I forgot I already invited Kensento. You don't mind do you? Oh, put on a shirt, Oshare-Zukin probably came with him." Rage obeyed, and came out morbidly, like a whipped puppy, looking at the ground, dreading what may happen next. A very happy Zukin bounced in, wearing her usual skirt and her ears twitching. Kensento came in after, not as energetic. "Long transit?" Tracy asked, leading Kensento to the couch. He nodded and sat down. "How's the room you two rented?" Tracy dared to ask. Oshare-Zukin smiled.

"Its wonderful!" she giggled, blushing. Rage stared. 

"Room?" he asked, then noticed the band Oshare and Kensento were wearing. He sighed and collapsed on the couch. "Oh" he muttered. Tracy took Oshare by the arm and led her out. 

"I think the boys need to talk. Let me show you the nice clothes store I found here!" and they were gone. When the door clicked shut, Rage sighed, and laid down.

"What is the matter Rage-kun?" Kensento asked. Rage looked up at his blue friend, unable to really tell is he was smiling, being serious, or even his age.

"Don't call me a kid" he snapped, then held a pillow close. Kensento stared, then got up and took the pillow away.

"Rage-kun, is this another girl?" he asked. "Sit up!" he urged. Rage, sensing the seriousness in his friend's voice, he sat up and nodded. "Rage-kun, the this is why I have always worried about you: you have the hardest time with commitment." Rage nodded, then shook his head. 

"Wait, in the Disco Zone-"

"This isn't the Disco Zone! Or the Puppet Zone! This is the Burning Zone. In each Zone, there is a different way of thinking of different things. Here AND in the Puppet Zone, couples last more than a few hours, they usually last for months, years, whatever." Rage looked off. "I see you finally get it my friend" he patted Rage on the shoulder. "I think I will catch up with Oshare and your sister. Tracy seems to have forgotten these invites, and they must be out by Saturday." Kensento picked up the cards and left.

Rage got up and poured himself some juice.

"Getting love advice from a man with a giant battery on his back..." he paused. "Love...?" He closed his eyes and thought of some of his past girlfriends. The ones he dumped before they could dump him, and the ones who cried. "...Emi..."

Emi brushed her hair, staring at her reflection and frowned. Her face looked more tense than it usually did. She sat back in her chair and fell backwards, remembering it was more of a stool than a chair. Walt came in and looked down at her.

"Um, we got these letters..." he muttered, looking away from Emi and tossed one to her. She giggled. 

"What's wrong? Meet a girl at the sleep over?" she asked. Walt left the room quickly. Frowning, Emi got up and poked her head out the door. Walt looked up and dropped his card and ran to his room. Alarmed, Emi got there first and closed the door. Walt's face collided with her stomach and his glasses fell off. Emi stooped down to get them at the same instant Emi did. She picked them up and noticed they were bent. She looked into her brother's face to pull the truth from him.

"Walt! What happened?" she asked, dropping the glasses and examining his face. Walt's left eye was a deep purple and his nose was red. He suddenly began crying and Emi hugged him close. 

"I got in a fight. It wasn't a party at all, Jared just really wanted a skateboard and he and the others ganged up on me when they wanted more stuff. I refused and there was a fight" he sobbed. Emi shushed him and rocked back and forth, holding him tight.

An hour later, after Walt calmed down and his eyes and nose treated, Emi gave Jared's mother a heated call, then slammed the phone down. He was currently eating a sandwich, content that Jared was getting his own. Emi went into her room to get her brush when she remembered the letter. She came back with it and opened it at the table.

"Oh! A pool party! Do you want to go Walt? I bet your eye will heal up by then." she tried to smile, looking back down at the card.

"I'll go." he said, enjoying his tuna. Emi smiled.

"I'll call the number and tell them we accept" she said. Walking over to the phone, she dialed the number.

"Hello?" an all too familiar voice answered.

"Um, I'd like to call about the party. My brother, Walt, and I decided to come." she said, trying to place the name.

"Alright Emi" Rage said. Emi nearly dropped the phone. "See you Saturday then" then he hung up.

Emi and Walt took the elevator to the top of the parking garage.

"I didn't know there was a pool up here!" Walt murmured softly. Emi laughed. 

"Well, we have a tennis court on top of ours." she smiled, shrugging. Walt looked up at the numbers.

"Just how many floors are there?" he asked as the numbers reached 10. The elevator suddenly stopped and the doors opened.

"Ten, then the roof" Emi said, smiling. Walt stuck his tongue out at her, then stepped out. Tracy and Oshare ran (or in Oshare's case, skipped) to them.

"Welcome to the party!" they welcomed together. Emi laughed as Oshare pulled Walt forward and showed him to the men's changing room as Tracy gently shoved Emi to the women's room.

A few minutes later, Emi came out in a rainbow bikini, blushing furiously. Walt had been in the water for a few minutes, being asked about his slightly red eye. Emi laughed and sat on the edge of the pool and dipped a foot in. She heard laughing and saw Ecks with a girl.

__

Finally. She thought, glad that her friend thought of himself for once. She looked around.

"E-Z!" she yelled, recognizing a purple Zukin with wings. Evil (or Devil if you prefer) Zukin bounced towards her friend. Devil Zukin smiled and sat next to Emi and the two engaged in random talk about their Zones, complimenting how each sounded and promises that Emi would visit the Puppet Zone. They got up to eat, still talking and grabbed plates. The whole time, the two were together just talking. Emi was introduced to the other party goers and was a little intimidated by Dread Snake, who's sunglasses didn't allow anyone to view his eyes.

"I wonder where Rage is?" she asked Devil Zukin, then turned around right into Rage, who was heading to the pool. He looked down at her and smiled.

"Nice suit" he said, then walked past her and jumped in the pool. Emi looked at him for a moment as he, Walt and a few other guys challenged the girls to a volleyball contest. The tam was split up so half the guys were with half of the girls. Tracy, the mastermind of the party, arranged the teams, making sure she and Boldo (wink wink) were on one team and Emi and Rage were on another.


	9. When They Kissed

After games, food and drink, the party dispersed and most of the party goers went inside. Emi stayed on the roof and laid down on a beach chair and looked at the stars. Behind her in the apartment complex, Tracy was turning off lights as her guests gradually fell asleep and others made their way downstairs to get a taxi to their hotels. Stretching out, she thought back on the day and having finally met her pen pals and Walt had a crush on Princess Zukin, who came later that day.

Rage was swimming by himself. The pool lights were on, so he occupied himself with diving for the colored weights. When he became short of breath and the ringing in his ears became unbearable, he pulled himself out of the water and sat on the edge of the pool, looking at the lights reflected in the water.

Emi was surprised by a sudden splash of water and sat up and looked at the pool. She saw Rage, soaking wet, sitting on the edge of the pool. Realizing for the first time how cold it was getting, she found a few towels and grabbed one for herself and one for Rage and draped it over his shoulders and wrapped her around her body. Rage looked up surprised, then back into the water. Emi sat down next to him and stared, then became lost in the dancing lights in the water. Gradually, she began to fall asleep, then something clicked in her mind and woke her up again. Rage had his arm wrapped around her and was about to get up.

"Sorry Emi. You just fell asleep and I was going to put you on the chair" he said, a bit embarrassed. He looked away, but didn't remove his arm.

"How's the water?" she asked, changing the subject. rage looked up confused. Unwrapping herself, Emi slipped into the water and stood on her toes, forgetting the depth here went up higher than her shoulders. The lukewarm water warmed her body, making her regret having to leave later. A splash beside her told that Rage got back in.

"You know, your serves aren't that good" he said, getting the volleyball that was stuck in a corner. He tossed it to Emi, who dropped it and splashed herself. Irritated, she splashed Rage, who in turn, splashed her. Picking up the volleyball again, she threw it at Rage's head and it hit. Emi laughed while Rage watched the ball float away. Getting an idea, he came after Emi. Confused, she stayed where she was. Grabbing Emi by the shoulders, he dunked her. Surprised, Emi yelled out, but her brain didn't immediately register the fact that she was under water. Rage laughed as Emi struggled, but thought something was wrong as she gave up too fast. He pulled her up and shook her. Emi's head rolled back and her mouth was closed.

"Emi!" he yelled, shaking her harder. Emi's head lifted up and Rage looked ready to kill when she spit a mouthful of water in his face. He released her as she laughed. Letting the water drip over his face, he glared at Emi as she laughed. After a moment, she stopped laughing, then she forced a smile.

"Rage? It was just a joke..." she looked at him, then felt guilty. He dipped underwater and closed his eyes. Emi watched him as his hair floated up and out, then flatten down as he rose to the surface. Emi came close and moved a few strands of hair from his eyes. Looking at Emi seriously, he caught her eyes and held them. Uncertain of what to do, but afraid to do anything, Emi stood motionless. Rage quickly closed the space between them and held her close, placing a palm in the middle of her back and the other on her cheek. Surprised, Emi pulled away for a second, out of reflex, but was pulled back by Rage. After a few seconds, he released her. Emi, trying to grasp a handle on the moment, pushed away from Rage and returned to the wall and stayed there. Taking the wrong idea, Rage went to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry" was all he said, then he lifted himself out of the pool and dried himself off and got dressed. Emi watched Rage as he put a dry shirt on. She lifted her arms to him. Looking down at Emi, he grabbed her arms and pulled her up. Emi, soaking wet, looked up at Rage, then hugged him close. He didn't resist, but pulled her closer, then once again, they kissed.

Tracy placed a blanket on Walt. It was nearly 12:30 am and Emi wasn't back yet. Rage's door was closed, so he could have been there for hours. She turned around as the door open and saw Rage lead Emi into the apartment. Emi looked tired and was leaning against Rage, and Rage was looking more at ease than he did in weeks.

"Emi is going to take my room" he assured Tracy. "I'll take the couch" Tracy nodded and went into her own room and closed the door. Rage thanked his parents for getting him a 3 bedroom apartment. He led Emi into his room, then became embarrassed as he remembered that he never cleaned it up. He let Emi sit on a corner of the bed as he picked up some clothes and threw them in the closet to make room on the bed. As Rage tried to find an extra blanket, Emi curled under the sheets and hugged the pillow. Rage came back in and placed a blanket over her, then kissed her on the temple.

"Good night Emi-chan" he whispered to her. He looked around at his room and sighed, then made a pile and sat on it next to his bed and took Emi's hand and stroked it. He sat there until he fell asleep, and Emi would wake up to find him there the next morning.


	10. When They Competed

It was noisy and hot in the arcade. Machines were moved fron their regular places and set back several feet. The Burger Bar (wow, am I imaginitive?) was busier than ever and the tables and chairs were gone for standing space. The main attraction of the day was a Dance Dance Revolution Tournament. Dancers from nearly all of the Zones were there. The Zukins and the Konsentos and Kensentos from the Puppet Zone; Tracy, Izam, Ni Na, Dread Snake and Boldo from the Disco Zone. There was Disk A and Disk B, but no one knew where they were from. And from the Future Zone was Charmy and Astro. From the Burning Zone, where the tournament was held, were Emi, Rage and Lady.

The diversity of Zone players excited the crowd, expecting to see a great tournament. Emi and Rage signed in as singles and as a team. Charmy and Astro, as well as a few unmentioned and mentioned characters did the same. Lady, feeling a bit left out, went to sign in as a single.

"Do you have a partner?" the woman at the table asked.

"Yeah, me" cut in a vioce, as Lady was about to say 'no'. She turned around and saw Dread Snake and grinned, trying to hide her surprise. He grinned back, tilting his sunglasses down a bit and giving a wink.

Tracy was in the Burger Bar, sipping her water, watching as the players teamed up and got to know eachother. Boldo came over and leaned against the wall beside her.

"This will be good. Its about time someone shows Rage he isn't as good as he thinks he is." Boldo said, watching Rage as he and Izam 'hyped up' while Emi and Ni Na pretended not to know them. "A little defeat should humble him a bit~" he muttered. Tracy nodded, worried about the future of Emi and Rage's relationship.

Emi gazed around the familiar arcade and unfamiliar faces. This tournament was the Burning Zone's attempt at attracting more travelers to the Zone.

"Watcha thinking about?" Rage asked, suddenly hugging Emi from behind. Emi jumpe and squeaked. Izam and Ni Na laughed at this, making Emi blush. Rage laughed too and pulled Emi's beanie down over her eyes.

"Rage, leave her alone. I guess the kid never saw this manypeople from different Zones before!" Izam laughed rudely. Emi blinked and realized she was 'the kid'. Rage guess that Emi was offended and hugged her tighter.

"Hey, it's not Emi's fault she's tiny!" he said to defend her, then covered his mouth quick, but not quickly enough. Izam laughed loud and hard at Emi, making her blush a deep red. Too embarassed to say anything, she quickly disappeared in the crowd, followed by Ni Na who looked at Izam disapprovingly. "I can't believe I said that out loud...." Rage groaned. Izam just kept laughing.

-----

Ni Na found Emi by an Air Hockey table, far from the tournament. She leaned against it and nudged Emi. Emi looked up, then down. The two listened to the noise for a while before Ni Na chose to speak.

"You know, Izam doesn't mean what he says. Hes just being rough on you since you are new to the group. It was always just him, Rage and me. Well, Izam and I started going out when we were younger...but we never had enyone else bother to enter our little group. I guess its hard for him to accept that there is someone else Rage is spending his time with. I'm sure Izam will get over it soon." Emi shifted her weight from on leg to the other and remained silent. "I heard it was hard for you and Rage for a while. Don't worry, all couples fight" Ni Na assured Emi. 

"What about school?" Emi asked. Ni Na stared. "When School starts again, there is going to be so much~ talk about me and Rage~" Emi paused and bit her lip. "When Izam called me 'kid', it just brought up everything I've been worrying about these past few weeks." Emi sighed, then stood straight and streched. "But I can't let that interfere with the competition right??" she cheered, pumping her fist in the air, mimicking Rage. Ni Na laughed and did the same. "Nothing will bring us down today! This is all about fun!"

---

The manager of the arcade came out with a megaphone and announced the beginning of the tournament. The crows cheered while Oshare Zukin bounced around happily. Emi held Rage's hand tighter everytime a group was about to be announced, releasing a bit when their names weren't called. Rage grinned down at her and squeezed back. Even though he had been in countless tournaments, Emi's nervousness seemed to be passing through to him. Emi squeaked when their names were finally called and was half dragged by Rage onto the stage. Emi was sure that her bones were made of lead and stood on the player 2 side awkwardly. Rage placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and nudged her forward. Emi scrooled through the songs and landed on _Butterfly_. She smiled appologetically at Rage and he smiled, then watched the screen. Both stood in the middle of their stage and danced to the song they commited to memory.

Suddenly, the song was over. Rage hugged her and they stepped off, after both recieving A's. Another couple walked past, but the Burning Rage team was met by Izam and Ni Na.

"We're off to a good start!" Rage smiled, high-fiving Izam. "So, who's up next?" he asked. Ni Na forced a smile and pointed. Rage and Emi turned around. Emi cheered for Tracy and Boldo as they were introduced. Rage, on the other hand, was glaring at Boldo. The team turned around and chose _Synchronized Love_. Emi hugged Rage, not noticing that he was glaring at Boldo.

"That jerk needs to start leaving me alone." he grumbled. Izam nodded while Emi looked up, confused. She held his right hand in both of hers throught the song, but Rage was still tense, glaring at Boldo. When the song was over, Emi hugged Tracy and congratulated her at the Perfect Attack. Rage was looking away, off to the side. Boldo walked past and shoved Rage over. Rage whipped around, but did nothing. Angry, Tracy hurried Boldo away, scolding him for trying to make a scene.

Next were Charmy and Astro, dancing to _Trip Machine_ (_no, I do not know what Mix this is :P_). Emi noticed that Rage was mesmerized by this team, and didn't realize why until Izam laughed and elbowed Rage in the ribs.

"Keep you eyes on your own girl, or are you looking for someone a bit older?" he laughed. Emi looked up at Charmy and noticed how short her shirt was. Ni Na pinched Izam's ear and pulled it down until she could whisper harshly into his ear. Izam straightened up and smiled sheepishly while Ni Na smiled at Emi.

Izam shoved past Emi to advance to the stage, followed by the much more polite Ni Na. Thier song was _Boom Boom Dollar_ (_dodges thrown objects 'hey, i still like this song!'_). Rage clapped his hands loudly and Emi cheered. At the end of the song, someone, most likely Rage, shouted out Izam's name, and he bowed, comically hitting his head on the safety bar. There was an intermission, and Rage, Emi, Izam and Ni Na met Boldo and Tracy at the Burger Bar. They talked for a bit until dancers were called back and the competition started up again.

---

Finally, after an hour, groups were sitting down, due to losing in earlier stages. It was Boldo and Tracy's turn, and they were dancing to _Afronova Primeval_. Emi was floored; the color was gone from her face and she began to feel sick. Rage tried to get her to eat something or to drink water, but she couldn't bring herself to do either.

"Rage....no, I can't, I'm sorry..." she whimpered, trying not to cry. "I know how much this means to you..." Rage held her face in his hands and kissed her forehead.

"....Its alright Emi. We'll just watch the rest okay?" he asked. Emi looked guiltily up in his face. She saw the disappointment he tried to hide and shook her head. "Listen, eat something, you are really pale..."

"Next: Team Burning Rage!" the announcer called. Ni Na, who was watching Emi and Rage while Izam rolled his eyes and muttered about the 'sappyness', ran over to the announcer.

"One of the team members isn't feeling too well. Could another team go first until they feel better?" she asked. The announcer frowned down at her.

"I guess...." he said slowly, then into the megaphone "There is a slight delay with team Burning Rage, so could Ni Na and Izam please take their places on the stage!" he shouted. The crowd cheered, a bit confused. Izam hurried up, frowning a bit, the regained his composure. Emi send Ni Na a 'thank you' smile and hugged Rage. Ni Na smiled and took her place.

"Are you trying to tell me something?" Izam asked so only Ni Na could hear. She looked at him, confused, but he shook his head and chose their song.

-

"Rage, I'm feeling better now...." she aruged pathetically as Ecks came up with a hot dog and a drink for Emi.

"Hes right Ems, you are pale. Just eat a few bites before you go up there, you look like you might pass out." Ecks urged.

"But I don't---" she didn't get to argue, because Rage tore off a bit of hot dog and stuffed it in her mouth. Emi chewed and swallowed, but the dog just felt like a fist in her stomach. "I'm fine! Come on Rage, its our turn..." she said, tugging his hand. Ecks leaned on the counter and watched his best friend go, thinking about nothing in general, then took an order.

Faces swarmed around Emi as they made their way onto the stage. Light, sounds, faces. They all melted together until Emi found herself on the stage, her feet planted on the left and right arrows. Rage was bent over, choosing a song. Still feeling lightheaded, Emi stood back a step. Somehting felt wrong, but she ignore it and Rage's song, _Paranoia Evolution_, started (_Really, I have no clue what mix this is o_o_). Rage started dancing, then the crowd became silent, then murmering started to spread. Eim's side was filled with arrows of different colors, filling most of the screen. she panicked and leaned against the safetybar. Rage stopped dancing and looked at the bottom right of the screen and groaned. Emi stood too far back when rage chose the sng, and her level was on heavy instead of Light. he continued dancing, but only passed with a C.

--

Finally, the winners were announced. Tracy and Boldo were in 1st, Izam and Ni Na in second and Rage and Emi last. Right after they were announced and the crowd began to disperse, Boldo stepped in front of Rage.

"Great job Rage. Next time, don't have your partner humiliate the both of you. But hey, at least you got to taste defeat!" he laughed, then was hit in the hed with Tracy's purse. Boldo tried to follow Tracy, but she was angry and refused to talk to him for the rest of the evening. Izam was about to say something, but Rage left. Emi tried to follow, but she was still feeling ill and tired. She caught him in the Cule, a small area where there was a tall, shady tree with 2 park benches with springy grass. Emi grabbed his arm there to stop him. Rage, angry, whirled around.

"You could have said you wanted to forefit!" he yelled. Emi jumped back, unable to hold back her tears any longer. Rage frowned and turned away.

"Rage.." she sobbed, trying to reach out to him again.

"Save it Emi." he snapped. Emi whimpered, then knocked him hard on the back of the head. Rage turned his head, but Emi was walking back to the arcade. He sighed, then a few minutes later was picked up by Izam and Ni Na, who dropped him off at his apartment. Emi, on the other hand, was driven home by Ecks. Walt sat in the front seat. Emi forgot he was at the tournament and felt even worse. The car was silent on the way to Emi's, except for a soft 'good night' from Ecks and a snif from Emi. Walt and Emi took the elevator upstairs, silently.

--

"Emi? Do you need me to call the doctor?" Walt asked. Emi walked to the bathroom and looked at her reflection and sighed. The tears has dried on her pale face and she was still breathless from the match. She washed her face with cold water, then collapsed on her bed, face down. Walt made himself dinner, ignoring the fact that it was 5:50 in the afternoon.

Rage paced his apartment, cursing himself. Just as everything was getting great between him and Emi, he had to blow up at her. 

_'Why didn't I call the last round off? I saw how nervous Emi was, why did I continue it? Why did I let Boldo hurt her like that? Why did _I_ hurt her like that...'_ his thoughts trailed off. He called Ei's apartment around 6 P.M., but got Walt. Walt never knew about what happened after the tournament, but said that Emi was sick.

"Can I come over?" Rage asked.

"Please? I can't cook and I burnt my 3rd grilled cheese." Walt said. Rage forced a dry laugh.

"Well, neither can I. I'll bring some condensed soup for the three of us." he offered.

"Already got some. Hey Rage?"

"Yeah?"

"Hurry over?" he asked. Rage agreed and was over there within half an hour. Emi was still asleep when Rage got there, so the boys started making dinner without her. She finally appeared when they were pouring the soup into the bowls. The noticed her when she groaned.

"Do I really have to clean this up?" she asked, staring at the mess in the kitchen. They looked around, then back at Emi.

"We'll clean it, we promise!" Walt squeaked. Emi nodded and collapsed in a chair.

"Whats for dinner?" she asked, barely able to keep her eyes open. "Whatever it is, it smells burnt." Walt quietly placed a bowl of tomato soup in front of Emi, grapped a bowl of chicken noodle from him and Rage sat down with his own chicken noodle. Dinner, like the ride home, was silent. Walt began cleaning the kitchen when they were through, along with Rage while she collapsed on the couch. When they were through, Walt went into his room and shut the door. Rage took this oppertunity to sit next to Emi, who was flipping channels.

"Emi" he said, trying to get her attention. She kept her eyes on the T.V.. "Emi" he said louder, taking the remote from her hands. Emi le go, but refused to look at Rage and began crying again. "No...Emi...dont..." he wiped her tears with his hands. She squirmed to get away, but he held her close suddenly. "Emi, I'm sorry, I had no right to yell at you. There will be other competitions..." Emi pushed Rage away and ran to her room. "Emi!" he yelped. she paused in the doorway.

"Rage? How will we be 3 weeks from now?" she asked. Rage paused. "Thats when school starts. How will we be then if we fight like this now? Over small things?." Of course, she didn't think disappointing Rage by losing the competition was small, but his refusal to accept her appology stung.

"Then I'll be a better boyfriend, I promise! Lets start now by forgetting today!" he said. Emi looked up from the ground into his face. "Come on Emi, we have nothing to lose at this point" he said, and opened his arms. Emi sighed, then ran into his arms, surprising Rage. He hugged her tight. "I won't make you cry anymore" he promised.

"Don't leave tonight..." she begged. Rage blushed and looked down at Emi, then nodded.

"I won't leave..." he promised.

Walt walked out of his room around midnight to get a glass of water. He looked on the couch to find his sister being cradled in Rage's arms on the couch. Both were fast asleep. Walt smiled and put a blanket on them, then got his water and went back to sleep.


End file.
